


I Will Endure

by LilBittyMonster



Series: Mollymauk Lives Fest [1]
Category: Critical Role (Web Series)
Genre: Established Relationship, Healing, Mollymauk Lives Fest, Multi, Tattoos, both Widomauk and Yashagard are established relationships, but Yasha/Beau is barely there and I don't want to clog the tags, hence Molly's phoenix tattoo, on both a physical and emotional level, setting is somtime post-ressurection
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-02
Updated: 2018-09-02
Packaged: 2019-07-05 17:32:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,010
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15868407
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LilBittyMonster/pseuds/LilBittyMonster
Summary: Caleb helps Mollymauk take care of his new tattoo, and decides to get one for himself as well.





	I Will Endure

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first work for the Mollymauk Lives Fest! Day One Prompts are Tattoos & Healing

“Caleb, d’you think you could help me for a minute?” Mollymauk asked from their bed.

“Eh, _ja_ , with what?” Caleb replied, looking up from his book.

Mollymauk stripped off his shirt and motioned at the new tattoo on his lower back. It was a phoenix taking flight, the tail feathers starting just above his tail and the head resting just between his shoulder blades, wings spreading to wrap around his ribs.

“Needs to be kept soft,” he explained, “and I can’t exactly oil it all myself.”

“Yes, that’s not a problem. Do you want to stay standing, or…” Caleb trailed off as he slid in his bookmark.

“Bed’s probably the easiest,” Mollymauk said as he stretched out on the mattress, pillowing his head on folded arms. Caleb closed the book and grabbed the small pot of cream from the bedside table. Gathering a small amount on his fingers he began massaging in slow, methodical circles. The soft sounds of skin moving over skin, mixed with the vague birdsong outside the open window, made for a bubble of relaxation for the both of them.

“You aren’t falling asleep on me, are you?” Caleb murmured as he leaned over to oil the far wing.

“Mmm, no promises,” Mollymauk replied sleepily. Caleb just huffed a small laugh and moved to the other wing.

Caleb finished the last bit at the head, gently tracing the raised lines of bright swirling orange as he sat back on the bed. “You’re going to run out of skin soon, you know,” he joked fondly.

Mollymauk raised his head and blinked up at him. “That’s fine, means I’ll’ve completely become Mollymauk Tealeaf.”

“Is that why you do it?”

A small nod, accompanied by a series of jingles. “Staking my claim on this body. Makes it mine,” he said with a wide yawn.

Caleb leaned down and pressed a kiss between the spirals of horn. “Take your nap, I’ll wake you when we go to eat.”

Mollymauk just hummed and buried his face in his arms again, breath evening out in seconds. Caleb just shook his head fondly. Sometimes he felt like he had two cats instead of one. He picked his book back up, mulling Mollymauk’s words over in his head as he read.

***

“Yasha, you went with Molly to get his tattoo, _ja_?” Caleb asked over his second beer of the night.

“I did, yes. Why?”

“Where, um. Where is the shop? Parlour? Parlour.”

Yasha blinked at him for a moment before replying. “It’s down one of the side streets, past the. Um. Shield’s Grace? The one that the crazy herbalist runs. It’s got a big sign, can’t miss it.”

“Ah. _Danke_ , I will be back in a bit,” he said as he stood from the table.

“You aren’t going now, are you?” she said, gripping his arm in concern. “You shouldn’t get tattooed when drunk, Caleb.”

“Well, I won’t have the courage sober, and I feel...this is something maybe I should do. So.” He ended with a small shrug.

She released a long sigh and shut her eyes in exasperation. “Will you let me come with you at least?”

“ _Ja_ , that’s fine, I do not mind.”

“Alright.” She turned to Beau, who was engrossed in wrapping up the latest batch of pocket bacon. “We’ll be back at some point.”

“Cool, have fun,” the monk replied absently, pressing a brief kiss to Yasha’s cheek.

“So, do you have a design in mind, or….” Yasha asked as they left the tavern.

“Well, I was thinking….”

***

Caleb opened the door to their room to the sight of a pacing purple tiefling. As soon as he latched the door shut, Mollymauk broke from wearing a hole in the floor.

“There you are!” he exclaimed, coming to frame Caleb’s face with his hands and gently kissing him. Caleb eagerly returned the kiss, lacing his right hand through the lavender locks.

“Where were you, you were gone for hours and no one knew where-”

“Relax, _Liebe,_ I was fine, I had Yasha with me. We went to the tattoo parlour.”

“The tatto-why?” Mollymauk’s brow creased in confusion.

Caleb gently broke their embrace to remove his coat, then his book sling, then finally his shirt, revealing the fresh bandages wrapped around from his hand extending to his elbow.

Molly’s eyes went wide.

“Did you really get-” he started as he reached to pick at the cloth.

“You are so impatient sometimes,” Caleb said as he pulled his arm back to unwind the strips from the beginning. Mollymauk only replied with a wide grin, sitting back on the bed, tail lashing in anticipation.

The last bandage fell away, and Caleb held out his left arm to show off the vines of ivy that crawled over and covered his burn scars. The wide green leaves were still wet with fresh ink and ichor, the vines given a realistic look from the scar tissue underneath. Mollymauk gingerly took his hand to look at the details closer, then up at Caleb with a questioning expression.

“I remembered what you had said. About staking a claim on your body with tattoos. So-” he wiggled his arm a bit “-I felt that maybe…...it’s time for me to do the same.”

He averted his gaze to the floor as Mollymauk stood, pressing a lingering kiss to his forehead. “I am so proud of you,” he murmured lovingly, followed with another quick kiss.

“You will have to teach me how to take care of it,” Caleb said in lieu of dealing with his emotions at those words.

“Of course, darling. You got your own cream I assume?” Caleb nodded affirmatively. “Good. We’ll put some on tomorrow. But I’m tired and want to go to bed.”

“You and me both,” Caleb echoed.

Mollymauk extinguished the remaining candles in the room as Caleb crawled into bed, mindful of his new wound, and felt Mollymauk spoon into him from behind, arm under his. Caleb drifted off to sleep feeling, for the first time in a long time, a small measure of peace.

**Author's Note:**

> I'm always a sucker for broken people healing together. 
> 
> Fun fact; ivy means "I will endure" in Victorian flower language, which I thought would be very fitting for Caleb. Another fun fact; I also have an ivy vine half sleeve (top half of my left arm though) and yes it actually did take several hours. I left the aftercare details a bit vague since idk what aftercare products would be available in Wildmount? They'll be fine, I'm sure.
> 
> I'm on [tumblr](https://lilbittymonster.tumblr.com/) if you want to come say hi!


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